Nick Anthony explores new destinations for luxury getaways.
More than a thousand islands rich in diversity dot the Caribbean amid an eternal summ er. Endless beaches, lush rainforests, equatorial forests, soaring volcanic spires, idyllic coral gems, and a relaxing attitude beckon?welcome to Island time.
The Carribean region is over 1500 miles long from Florida to Venezuela. Most islands are politically independent, with some maintaining strong ties with the Netherlands, US , and UK .
The first tourist to hit the beaches in 1492 was Christopher Columbus. Droves of Danes, Dutch, Swedish, English, French, and Spanish explorers followed, bringing with them plants, foods, cooking customs, and unique traditions that have endured and combined to make the area a unique experience today.
As I run through the Chicago airport and scan the magazines I note the Caribbean is very much in vogue with front page articles. Advertising of residential property in St Lucia, Barbados (where Tiger Woods got married), Turks & Caicos, and many others show luxury homes for sale in places that looked like paradise on earth.
Prior to my acquaintance with Grenada, I spent 24 hours in Barbados - the southern Caribbean?s central air hub with regular directs to and from New York, Miami, and London.
Barbados is a busy destination with nice beaches, tailored golf courses, amazing oceanfront villas, bustling towns, and dozens of hotels. Expensive restaurants dot the island and it has a very American feel.
Barbados is a busy destination with nice beaches, tailored golf courses, amazing oceanfront villas, bustling towns, and dozens of hotels. Expensive restaurants dot the island and it has a very American feel.
Jump on a plane from Barbados and 40 minutes later you arrive in Grenada, which is 20 minutes from Mustique, home to Mick Jagger?s beach pad; and off Grenada?s coast lies Calouan, where the new Raffles resort and Trump estate is built.
Calouan Island quickly pre-sold its villas with a new designer golf course and casino. Geographically, Grenada is ?Phuket on Steroids?. Dramatic headlands spike into the Caribbean like tentacles reaching for Venezuela. Jungle-clad mountains rise out of small smugglers? coves where you can easily imagine Spanish galleons resting lazily.
With no international hotels, Grenada appears to be left out of the tourism boom that has hit the Caribbean; yet Grenada has been preparing for its own high-end clientele quietly by offering the fresh and exciting feeling of just having been discovered. |
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In Grenada, life slows down a notch; the immediate vibe is light, modern, colorful, and relaxed. Grenada has new roads, smart road signs, and landscaped suburbs with a St Bart?s type of clean luxury.
The Four Seasons? Hotel is building on a very private headland and also on an adjoining small island in the South East; its easy to see why others will quickly follow suit.
New Caribbean airlines, increasing connectivity, and new hotels will drive this incredibly beautiful island into a new era marked by generous luxury estates, the best 5-star operators, and a government backing high-end tourism. Expect big things into 2007 and 2008 and don?t be surprised when the global press ?discovers? the Grenadines?.a special cricket-loving part of the West Indies that will be in the spotlight with the Cricket World Cup in 2007. Grenada has all of the Caribbean ingredients and has been overlooked. |
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